


Ornaments

by tchele



Category: NCIS
Genre: Christmas Fluff, F/M, Pre-Relationship, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-09-06 08:04:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16828507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tchele/pseuds/tchele
Summary: Based off the description of the Christmas Episode What Child Is This? And of course *that* BTS video from October. Ellie and Nick bond over caring for a baby.





	Ornaments

This was not how he expected to spend his evening. He wasn’t complaining, he spent a fair amount of his free time with his partner anyway, but adding a baby into the mix was an unexpected twist. Especially since he was also spending the evening at their boss’ house taking care of said baby.

“Do you think Gibbs would care if we made this place more Christmasy? It’s kinda depressing in here.” Nick asked.

“Rule eighteen.” Ellie replied. “It’s better to ask forgiveness than permission. Let’s do it.”

They worked together to get the baby ready for a quick trip to the store and Ellie put him in the car seat while Nick warmed up the car. She carried the sleeping baby out of the house and installed the seat in the base they had left in the car. She climbed in beside him in the back seat in case he woke up on the short trip.

When they arrived at the store Ellie grabbed the small diaper bag and Nick carried the baby in his carrier. They got in the store and grabbed two carts, one for their merchandise and one for the baby, the carrier, and the diaper bag. They headed straight for the corner of the store with the artificial Christmas trees, lights, and decorations. Nick lifted the box for the tree Ellie indicated and put it in his cart and Ellie picked out a few ornaments she wouldn’t mind having if Gibbs made them take it down. An ornament caught Ellie’s eye. It was a baby bear wearing a blue hat in a high chair with the year spelled out in blocks on the tray of the high chair. She impulsively grabbed it and put it in the cart. Nick said nothing, just watched as she then went to check on the whimpering infant in the carrier. 

“Oh it’s ok. Are you too warm?” Ellie said as she unfastened the straps, took him out of the carrier, and took his jacket off of him. She brought him up to her shoulder and supported his head. “Hey Nick? Can you hand me his pacifier?”

Nick handed it to her and she put it in the babies mouth. He started sucking on it immediately and quieted down.

“Oh so exciting a new baby in time for Christmas. You make such a nice looking family.” A woman passing by them said.

Neither of them corrected her, the real story was too hard to believe and besides Nick thought it was kind of fun to pretend they were a family. The woman went on with her shopping and Ellie gently placed him back in the carrier.

“You didn’t correct her.” Ellie said once the woman was out of earshot.

“You didn’t either. Besides what would we say? We are Federal Agents on protective duty for a baby that may have been kidnapped?” Nick replied.

“You’re right. The truth is too unbelievable. Instead we are what? Husband and wife? Charlie and Luis?” Ellie said with a twinkle in her eye recalling their cover identities from nearly a year ago.

“I could get on board with that Charlie.” Nick replied, his voice huskier than he expected. “We should probably check out and head back to Gibbs house.” 

“Ok Luis. We probably should go, I think he’s going to need to eat again soon. The pacifier will only satisfy him so long.” Ellie replied.

They maneuvered their carts towards the checkout and Ellie put the coat back on the baby and fastened him back in his carrier while Nick purchased the items. Ellie repeated the process of installing the carrier in the base once they got back to the car while Nick put the decorations in the trunk and backseat. They made it back to the house before the baby began to wail in earnest and Nick took over the process of getting the baby out of the car seat and rocked him while Ellie made a bottle. She took the wailing infant from Nick and placed the nipple in the baby’s mouth as she sat down on the couch. He quieted immediately and both Nick and Ellie breathed a sigh of relief.

Nick opened the box of the tree and began to put it together. When the baby finished the bottle and Ellie had burped, changed, and rocked him back to sleep she joined Nick in assembling the tree. Soon they had it plugged in and decorated with the ornaments they had purchased. 

“So why’d you get this one?” Nick asked holding up the bear ornament.

“It’s this thing my mom does. We each have an ornament for our first Christmas. All four of us and each of her grandkids. I saw it and thought he should have one too, hopefully when we figure out who he is it can go with him. You never get another first Christmas.” Ellie answered with a shrug.

“Amanda has one of those too I think.” Nick said.

“So do Johnny and Morgan.” Ellie replied with a smile.

They sat quietly looking at the tree each lost in their own thoughts.

“Do you ever think about having kids? You are great with him.” Nick asked.

“I would love to be a mom, but the timing has never been right. When I was married and I was ready he wasn’t, and seeing how that fell apart I’m glad we never did.” Ellie answered.

“When did it happen? I knew you were divorced, but that’s it.” Nick asked.

“Almost three years ago. The divorce was all very civil and quick. Things hadn’t been working for awhile, but I really thought we’d work it out. Then he told me he cheated on me and once I got over the shock of it I filed and he didn’t contest it, but it was hard.” Ellie answered.

Nick wrapped his arms around her. “I’m so sorry Ellie. You’d be a great mom and he was a fool.” Nick said.

“What about you? You ever think about having kids?” Ellie asked.

“When I was undercover it never crossed my mind, but lately? Yeah I could see it.” Nick answered, not mentioning that in his minds eye he saw a little girl with hazel eyes.

“I bet you’d be a great dad.” Ellie replied. “You just haven’t met the right woman yet.”

“Oh I’m pretty sure I have.” Nick said as he suddenly withdrew his arm from around her.

“Do tell. Do I know her?” Ellie asked.

“She doesn’t see me that way, and I may have stupidly said something I shouldn’t have that put me in the friend zone.” Nick answered.

“Like what? How do you know she sees you that way?” Ellie asked.

Before Nick could think of an appropriate response that wouldn’t give himself away a wail came from the cradle. “I got him.” Nick said as he jumped off the couch and scooped the baby up. 

Ellie watched her partner soothe the baby and show him the lights of the Christmas Tree and felt a pang in her heart. She wasn’t sure how to describe what she was feeling. A part of her was incensed that whomever Nick was interested in couldn’t see how great he was, but another part of her remembered that day at the diner with Annie and how she felt when she realized that Nick was on a date.

“Hey Nick? What did you say that makes you think she would never see you as anything more than a friend?” Ellie asked again.

“I may have said that she wasn’t my type.” Nick replied.

Ellie’s breath caught in her throat as she remembered what her brothers said two years earlier. “And she is your type?” She asked.

“Honestly?” Nick answered as he sat down beside her with the baby still in his arms. “At the time I said it I believed it.”

“What changed?” Ellie asked as she stroked the baby’s cheek.

“I did. I’m not the same person I was when I said that.” Nick answered. “And she isn’t who I thought she was either, not completely anyway.”

“Why don’t you put the baby back in the cradle.” Ellie instructed.

Nick raised an eyebrow, but did as she asked. Once the baby was settled in the cradle Nick returned to the couch near Ellie.

Ellie moved closer to Nick. “Can we drop the pretense? Because unless I’m reading this situation all wrong you aren’t talking about some random woman.”

Nick shrugged, suddenly afraid to trust his voice.

“Let’s try this. When did you realize you had feelings for me?” Ellie asked.

“After our undercover mission, and so many times since then.” Nick answered. 

“Really.” Ellie said quietly. “That long. That was almost a year ago.”

“So now you know how I feel about you, but none of that matters if you don’t feel the same way.” Nick replied as he stood up to put some distance between them.

Ellie reached out and grabbed his hand to stop him. “You don’t get to say all that and then run away.” She said.

Nick turned to look at her and allowed her to pull him back down to the couch.

“I think I knew when we were undercover too, but I tried to ignore it. I thought it was just because we were undercover, that I was imagining it and waited for it to go away.” Ellie continued.

“But it didn’t go away.” Nick asked.

Ellie shook her head, uncharacteristically quiet.

“So what do we do now?” Nick asked.

Ellie leaned over and kissed him. “We work the case, we take care of this little guy and we revisit this after the case is over when we aren’t in Gibbs’ house.”

“Promise?” Nick asked.

“Absolutely. The minute this case is over we will continue this.” Ellie replied.

They sat there each reflecting on the conversation and how a baby at Christmas time had the power to bring them together.

~fin

**Author's Note:**

> This is not the fic I set out to write. I really wanted to do a nod to JAG with this fic and it just didn’t happen. I could see Nick and Ellie having a “deal” like Harm and Mac made after A.J. Roberts was born, and I really wanted to write it but my muse wouldn’t let me. I may have been able to but the story was getting very dark, angsty, and triggery and I scraped it all, kept the beginning and rewrote it lol.
> 
> Enjoy. Hopefully there aren’t too many errors I wanted to get this posted so I can work on the end of Come Together while I am out today and away from Internet.


End file.
